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Today is Teacher Appreciation Day in the US. Do you appreciate your teacher? Probably not. But if they’re good then you probably should. After, school can be kind of boring, and so it takes a very special kind of teacher to stop you from falling asleep at your desk every day.

Check out this list, compiled by Bored Panda, for our favorite examples of awesome teachers. Some of them skateboard to work every day, some of them have ‘I want to marry Justin Bieber’ embossed on their pencils to stop students from stealing them, and some of them confiscate their student’s phones just so they can take selfies with them. Let us know which ones are your favorites, and don’t forget to tell us all about your own favorite teachers in the comments below. After all, while boring teachers are never remembered, awesome teachers are remembered forever.

Image caption The test paper had been accidentally published on the Department for Education’s website

The schools minister has been forced to cancel a national spelling test for England’s primary schools, after a teacher spotted it had already been published online as a practice paper.

Nick Gibb said this was a “clearly regrettable incident”.

More than half a million seven-year-olds had been due to take the test next month, as part of their Sat tests.

Head teachers’ leaders, who had called for the scrapping of the test, welcomed the decision.

It follows the discovery that part of the English test paper had been mistakenly published on the Department for Education’s website, for use as practice material, and had been available there for three months – potentially giving some pupils a clear advantage.

The blunder was initially spotted by a teacher at a school that was carrying out an official trial of the test, using the paper that was to be taken by pupils around England.

“We have no way of knowing how extensively it has been used by schools and parents,” said Russell Hobby, the leader of the National Association of Head Teachers.

Mr Hobby said the schools minister had acted “quickly and appropriately” in cancelling this part of the Sats tests for seven-year-olds.

Mr Gibb issued a statement saying: “To remove any uncertainty and clarify the situation for schools, I have decided that we will remove the requirement on them to administer the Key Stage 1 grammar, punctuation and spelling test for this year only.”

He said that no other test papers for Key Stage 1 pupils appeared to have been affected.

The schools minister also announced there would be a “root and branch inquiry” into the Standards and Testing Agency, an agency of the Department for Education that sets tests.

A statement from the Standards and Testing Agency said the mistaken publishing of the words to be tested, rather than another sample, was the result of “human error”.

A guide to Sats

Key Stage 1 Sats tests are taken by six- and seven-year-olds in England at the end of Year 2.

Pupils take tests in:

English grammar, punctuation and spelling (two papers)

English reading (two papers)

mathematics (two papers)

The Key Stage 1 test results are used by teachers to reach an overall judgement of the standards pupils have reached in these key subjects.

Parents also receive a teacher assessment for science, though there is no science test.

A second set of tests, Key Stage 2 Sats, are taken by 10- and 11-year-olds at the end of Year Six.

The Key Stage 2 tests are used as a measure of school performance.

This year’s Key Stage 2 tests will be more demanding than in previous years and will be based on the new curriculum taught in England since 2014.

Learning math and then algebra can be a difficult progression for many students in today’s public educational process. It should be a natural progression if done properly. I whole-heartedly agree with this article I found by Mr. VanNoy, where he gives a good explanation of how he believes children should be taught algebra. Check it out and see if it makes sense to you?

Embedding Algebra For Young Learners

My students have told me often that in the upper elementary school years, 4th or 5th grade, they started to learn Algebra. Usually, this memory evokes shudders of pain. Some explain that they never really “got the hang of Algebra”, and that it looks like “just a bunch of letters, numbers, and mixed-up rules” jumbled together. This has been a common discussion over the years with students who somehow got moved on from the comfortable levels of Arithmetic into the strange world of Algebra before they were really ready for it. How young is too young for us to teach our students algebraic concepts?

The answer — kids are never too young to learn algebra; they just need to be introduced to it in the right way, when they are ready. So, if it looks like algebra is next in your child’s curriculum list, what do you do?
This question is actually part of the problem . . . Algebra should not be handled as a separate unit at a certain time. It is actually best taught as an embedded idea as soon as children know how to count and can use elementary mathematical symbols. In short, if they can count, add and subtract, then they are ready.

Algebra quite simply is the study of arithmetic structure. . . So, how does the teacher introduce algebra concepts to the young student? Even at the youngest ages, our children can be ready for the following lesson sequence:

Build on the arithmetic strategies the student knows already. Introduce algebra ideas in a natural, comfortable way, linking from the natural, mathematical ideas of counting and basic numeric operations. Discuss money exchanges, adding and subtracting objects from piles and groups.
Examples:
“If I have $16 in my pocket and pay Shari, and I am left with $9, how much did I pay her?”
“Jeff has three pieces of gum in one pocket and five in the other. How many altogether? If he has three in one pocket but eleven total, how many in this pocket . . .”
“Jeff has three pieces in this pile, as you can see, but 12 in total. How many are in the pile I am covering?”

Make it interactive and fun. You want your student to be engaged and participate in the situations you present orally. Use “mystery numbers” and unknown numbers of pieces as the stand-ins for variables. Use funny sounds to represent the variables in a different order to create aural representations of equations. Let your kids make up their own examples and create funny sounds. Make it a hands-on experience whenever possible.
Examples:
“I am a number. When I add 6 more, I have 13. What number am I?”
“15 plus (oooomff) makes 28. How much is (oooomff)”
“(arrrrrrgh) groups of 8 makes 32. How many groups is (arrrrrrgh)?”

Introduce rules and properties in the student’s own language, and then move into the proper math vocabulary of “rules of equality”, “equal operations”, and “distributive property”.
Use the concepts of fairness and balance. You want the concepts to be learned before students are required to label the procedures formally.

To start talking about the concept of variables and equations, the learning sequence is extremely important here. If the developmental stages are skipped, students will try to memorize procedures and the understanding is lost. Orally introduce situations where there is an unknown quantity or mystery number, then represent the variable a funny sound or gesture, then move on to written symbols. Avoid using letter variables until your students are ready. In summary, algebra is the study of the arithmetic structures of our world, and is a toolbox we use to solve problems. The abstract nature of variables and equations and properties can only be understood after a proper developmental sequence of hands-on and oral examples, moving into the symbolic realm, and then progressing into pencil and paper exercises. Make it fun and interactive; allow your students to create their own examples and tap into their own curiosity. Embed these ideas into their basic curriculum lessons, not as a separate unit. Students of algebra need to be able to see how variables and equations are used to do any type of problem solving, and are tools to unlock mysteries in the world of numbers and patterns.

Terry VanNoy’s class sessions, Math with Mr. V are by appointment only . . . Call toll free 1-877-317-3317 to arrange a free consultation! Help your child feel more successful in his or her math classroom.

I like Mr VanNoy’s approach to teaching math and algebra. Too often the students are thrown into algebra without taking the time to know that they have a good general understanding of the concepts behind algebra. I hope this helps you when looking for a tutor to help your child learn algebra and math.

Visit our Mathnasium site if you are in the Cherry Hill NJ area and are looking for some math help for your child.

Sometimes the key to doing well in learning math is just to stay focused!

In this day and age with so many things calling out for our attention, like cellphones, tablets, televisions, computers and assorted other devices, it’s hard to focus your attention on just one thing. However, the article I’m about to share with you will offer you some tips on staying focused so that you may do better in whatever endeavor your currently involved in. So without further ado here it is:

Stay Focused When Studying With These Tips

Are you like me in that you cannot keep your concentration on the task at hand when it comes to studying your schoolwork? There is no need to panic or beat yourself up because you can’t seem to get the metric table and metric conversion calculator down. There are a number of easy solutions to this problem. You simply need to follow a routine when tackling concentrations difficulties.

I know it’s an uneasy feeling. No one likes to be in a situation where we are forced to focus with so many other things going on around us. While it may seem as pretty frightening at first, it’s really not that difficult to change your outlook and become a more focused student. Here are a few simple methods to follow and improve your study concentration for that next metric conversion and metric calculator test:

The first thing I want you to do is take out a piece of paper and make a list of ten points on why you should concentrate more. For example, studying for a good grade in math and knowing metric conversion would be a good reason. If your list has a lot of valid and strong reasons for staying focused, you’ll most likely stay that way. Categorize your reasons and thoughts in two areas – pros and cons. On one side of the list, write down all the positive things that can happen if you concentrate on your studies. The other side will be designated for the many potential negatives that can happen if you don’t concentrate on studying for your metric conversion calculator quiz.

Get rid of any and all possible distractions. These would be your TV, iPod, cellphone, computer or anything else that can potentially grab your much needed attention away from your metric table studies. You’ll often hear some students make false claims that they study better with the TV on or while they’re listening to music. This is simply untrue and unfounded.

Always set a defined timetable for yourself. It’s very important for you to establish very clear and set goals on what to you need to achieve during a particular metric conversion table study session, for example. Don’t forget to also think about how long it should take you to accomplish this study period timetable. A clear goal can be accomplished through proper planning.

In general, my advice is do your best and study smartly as much as you can. Avoid studying when you are hungry, and always think about what failure would mean to you. I like to form a visual image in my mind of what an “F” would mean to my future in college and when looking for a job.

Anne is a math teacher who loves teaching her students all about the metric conversion table. Recently, her classroom has been covering all there is to know about the metric conversion and metric conversion calculator.

So now you’re ready to go! Get yourself focused and head on over to Mathnasium, where we teach math in a way that children can understand.

To ensure that you child is learning math as easily as possible, it’s a good idea to have them do some games to reinforce their learning. With the technology available today, this should be nice and easy for you to do as both a parent and as an educator. Check out this article I just read on GoArticles.com by Emily Smith

Encourage Adaptive Learning Through Effective Tools Like Maths Games

Educators are constantly striving to find appropriate tools that make the classroom learning easy and enjoyable. An effective way of learning must encourage students to learn at their own pace and in their own ways. Adaptive learning is based on a similar idea and is a good way for teachers to support their student’s efforts in learning complex and challenging topics. The Maths Games are one such tool for adaptive learning. These tools are online tools that are helpful for students in managing their needs of common core state standards in mathematics. They constantly assess the student’s progress and give tasks based on the assessment results.

Why adaptive learning?

Researchers learned that to get successful results, the instructions must be adjusted to the student’s requirement and learning style. The emphasis should be given to all types of students, which means instead of concentrating only on capable students the teacher in the standard based system should assess the progress of every student and tune the instruction accordingly. This idea is the best way for each student to achieve success and is known as adaptive learning. According to researchers, there is no tool or system which can replace a well trained educator as they carefully give attention and intervene in the student’s math learning process and know whether they are going in right way or not. Whenever needed they give instructions, to make the student understand the concepts thoroughly and master it for proceeding to the next level.

Some standards such as common core state standards are helpful in providing framework for the adaptive learning and teachers are responsible for interpreting these things to the students. Further, the teacher must offer suitable learning activities – for that, they have to understand the student’s way of learning math and where are they facing the problem, so that a solution can be found. But to provide help the teacher has to be accustomed to using technology, for reinforcing the concepts already taught in the class.

Benefits of online educative game

With some high-quality educative games the teachers can give feedback and identify the problematic topics that are troubling the students. In this way they can also help the student in tackling the difficult concepts and simultaneously let them know an easy way to deal with it. The benefit of online Math Games is that the student can continue their math practice at home and learn or strengthen some important concepts to proceed to the next level when they go back to the classroom. These games are a great way to develop confidence in basic mathematical processes, which is crucial for learning advanced mathematics. However, to get fluency the student has to practice various ways to master simple mathematical operations. Math Games can facilitate in mastering the concepts, keeps students engrossed in solving exciting tasks and at the same time makes the process adventurous.

About the Author

Emily Smith is Marketing Executive for Free World Group. Here at Free World Group we provide onlineMath Games to improve whole class math teaching, together with fun Online Games to enjoy at home.

If you’d like to check out some of the games we previously recommended, check out these posts: math games

Did you know that the Common Core Standards have been adopted to better help educate and evaluate that education for your children?

These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The standards:If you don’t pay much attention to what’s going on in the academic world, you should read this article I found. It will give you a better understanding of just what the core standards are and how they apply to your student. (You can read more about the specific New Jersey Common Core State Standards by clicking here.)

For the general informatio on the Core Standards, check out this article by Gage Meyers from Article Dashboard.

Common Core State Standards: A Note To Parents

Since the roll out of the Common Core State Standards in June of 2010, over 40 states have adopted them.

Here is the Common Core State Standards mission statement:
The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.

Experts in the field of education are weighing in on this topic, both positively and negatively, but it is the negative perception that seems to be winning out (for now).

Here are the negative perceptions out there:
The Common Core will lead to a national curriculum and a national assessment.
The Common Core will take over our children’s minds.
The Common Core will take over state control of education.
The Common Core will turn our educational system to that of the European-style socialism.
The Common Core lacks specific content.

My objective is to show you how the Common Core State Standards will better prepare our students for their futures, but why listen to me?

First, I am a parent of two daughters, on in high school and one in middle school. I have been an educator for 21 years as a classroom teacher and currently as a school administrator. I have not only reviewed the Common Core State Standards, but have revamped my curriculum around the Common Core and have guided my staff in revising five courses, moving from a content-driven curriculum to a skills-based curriculum. Since our revisions, we have data to show that our students have learned specific skills that will help them succeed in school and in their future.

What are the benefits of the Common Core?

Moving from a content-based curriculum to a standards-based curriculum will provide students with the necessary tools to prepare them for post-secondary opportunities.

The Common Core State Standards, aligned with college and work expectations, focus on learning expectations and will improve the academic achievement of all students.

The benefits of the Common Core State Standards will positively impact both teachers and students alike.

The Common Core State Standards will provide students with the necessary skills to access higher education and to compete globally in the workforce. The Common Core is a vehicle that will assist educators in creating quality and fair skills-based instruction for all students. The 21st century skills embedded in the Common Core will pave the way for students to think, reflect, analyze, influence, evaluate, and communicate.

The Common Core State Standards will enhance teacher collaboration. When teachers across the nation use the same standards and common language, collaboration becomes more meaningful. Professional development at conferences, professional organizations, and across networks will be more powerful than ever. When teachers share best practice, students benefit.

The Common Core State Standards will provide more stability for the mobile student. In order to close the achievement gap once and for all, educators need consistency with learning targets for each grade level. Clear expectations across each county, state, and nation will help create constancy for students who move due to economic and personal reasons.

Let me provide a rebuttal to the negative statements from above:

The Common Core will lead to a national curriculum and a national assessment and will take over state control of education.
The Common Core is not a federal initiative. The states and local school districts will have the control over implementation and assessment of the Common Core.

The Common Core will take over our children’s minds.
Please review the Common Core and read its standards. They are rigorous. I want them to take over my children’s minds because I know they will then be ready for the 21st century global workplace.

The Common Core will turn our educational system to that of the European-style socialism.
Once again, the Common Core is a set of skills that will better prepare our youth. If we all understand what our children are expected to learn from kindergarten through 12th grade, we can help them succeed. A strong connection can be built between teacher, student, parent, school, community when we all have a shared knowledge of the skills being taught.

The Common Core lacks specific content.
We live in a world where knowledge is at our fingertips. The Common Core is designed as a systematic road-map to develop a set of important skills that will help students understand, analyze, apply, and synthesize content. Yes, I understand content is important, but it has been the driving force for too long in education. Let’s use the Common Core as the driving force teaching skills in school and provide content that is necessary, relevant, engaging.

The Common Core State Standards will help our students become the thinkers, innovators, and leaders of not only the United States, but the world.

Everyone could use a little help when trying to help their child learn math. THe article below will help you to help your second grade student learn math more easily. Hope you enjoy it.

Tips On How To Teach Math To Second Graders

Children learn how to talk, walk and play from parents. And of course when they reach the right age, parents opt to send them to school to learn more. One of the subjects that must be taught to them is math. It is important that you know how to teach them the concepts in 2nd grade math. Exercises and drills may help but it is also better that you know to educate them without making them overwhelmed. Here are some tips on how to teach math to your second grader kid.

Review Old Math Lessons

Second grade level is the time that your kids learn math concepts and functions that were taught in the first grade. It is vital that you review with them their old math lessons to freshen up their memory. Also, it will help them apply these to their real life situations. Remember that they can not progress to future math concepts if they do not recall their past skills. A long time of reviewing is not necessary. It is better to review in short bursts of time. Just take care to not let them be overwhelmed. Sometimes, a quick refresher course will do.

Lesson Plan

It is also important that you plan the topics that you discuss with your child and to be able to discuss with them the concepts effectively and significantly. They will be able to understand them more easily and will answer their math exercises correctly. Making a lesson plan and sticking to it will lead to the accomplishment of desired goals at the end of the school year. The concepts vary for each grade level and it’s critical to comply with the prerequisites.

Practice and Learn

It is true that practice makes perfect. Constant practice in performing basic operations of math for second grade students can help them master the concepts. You should also make sure that your child fully understands the concepts before proceeding to the next topic. Home exercises are also important since it enables them to master the lessons discussed with them.

Make the Lesson Simple but Clear

When discussing with them or teaching them concepts, it is essential that you explain the lessons in a simple and understandable manner. Do not overwhelm your child with concepts that are too advanced for them. Simple explanations will make them understand the concepts very well. But of course, this will only happen when you make it clear and easy for them to be able to understand the concepts easily.

Relate the Concepts and Problems to Real Life

Relating concepts in math to everyday activities can help develop the math skills of children, especially young students like second graders. Playing board games and counting are also essential for their development. Have them play the money game, and let them act like a bank teller who counts money. Simple games like these enable them to apply the math concepts in real world activities.

Fun and enjoyment are essential to the development of your child especially when he deals with numbers. The learning does not only depend on the exercises and drills in school. When your child is at home, spend time with him in doing home work. It is best that you, the parent, know how to help him understand the concepts without making it stressful for him. Remember that you are his first and best teacher no matter what.

By: Sara Mays

Sara Mays is a math enthusiast who loves teaching kids math by making it more effective with games. By using games she is able to break through and help those kids that are struggling.

Do you want to learn how to teach your child more effectively by using 2nd grade math exercises? Visit my website at KidsLoveMath.com for helpful tips to make math easy, exciting and and fun!

New Year celebrations can be fun, and it’s this time of year that we like to evaluate the prior year and look forward to the upcoming year. So with that thought in mind, I was looking at articles and found one I want to share with you. It was written by Susan Jarema and I think you’ll like it.

New Year’s Goal Setting and Math Add Up to Higher Grades for Students!

Teaching math is one of the greatest ways to instill valuable goal-setting skills while ensuring academic success. Math provides the perfect opportunity for goal-setting lessons: its aims are realistic, obtainable, measurable and can be broken down into smaller goals or tasks. Developing goal-setting skills will help students learn how to manage their time, make better decisions and take ownership of their own academic progress.

Unfortunately, most students never learn goal-setting techniques until after they have left school. But this need not be the case. Young children can start off by setting small goals to learn simple math facts, just as they learned their ABCs. For many students, their first daunting academic goal might be memorizing the times tables. Older students can set goals to improve their grades, learn new concepts or even go back to strengthen mental math skills.

You want your child’s first serious goal-setting experience to be a successful one. Understanding the factors that contribute to goal achievement will help you ensure that success.

A well-defined goal is realistic, obtainable and has a time target for completion. You begin by specifying exactly what the goal is. For example, I want to memorize the times tables from 0-12 by the end of the month. If your goal is something broader, such as I’m going to get one grade higher on my next report card in March, you will need to break it down into smaller goals for each individual test and assignment.

The action plan is the steps you will take to achieve your goal. These are actions that you can control. For example, I’m going to practice math facts 15 minutes a day with Dad, or I’m going to complete the workbook from my multiplication program or I’m going to sing along to my times tables songs in the car every day.

Motivation comes from within. It stems from your beliefs, values and desires – what is important to you. If you really believe that a goal is important, you are going to work hard to attain it. Here is where the problem most often lies: math just doesn’t seem that important to most children. A parent or teacher needs to demonstrate that learning math is truly useful to them. Often we need to lend a hand by offering an external motivator – some sort of incentive. What would we do without stickers and certificates? But though acknowledgement is nice, over time they must learn to be self-motivated as well.

Another key component of motivation is believing in yourself. Have you every noticed that people who are successful continue to be successful? They believe they CAN DO IT – that nothing is impossible. Conversely, once you get down on yourself it’s hard to get back on track. I see this all the time with children learning math. “I’m no good at math; I’ll never be able to get it.” This is when a teacher or parent can help reverse the downward spiral. You need to be there to encourage them, provide support, help them break down the goal into manageable tasks that they CAN achieve. “Look, you’ve learned the three times tables already. Boy, that was quick! Hey, the sixes are just double that – do you want to try a couple?”

Commitment comes from being motivated and knowing exactly what you need to accomplish. For many children the most important factor for success is their commitment to learning. They need to take ownership of the goal – it just does not work as well if Mom says they have to. “It may be Mom’s goal for me to get an A in math, but it’s not mine!” said one child I met. I soon discovered that this girl loved music. We talked about how math is part of music, and how many musicians are mathematical. We talked about fractions and rhythm, pitch and the frequency of notes. We even played Pi on the piano. Math suddenly became a little more relevant to her own interests. The internal motivation this provided, combined with the external motivation of getting to go to a movie after studying a certain amount, allowed her to make a real effort with math.

Effort is the time and work you commit to your goal. Make sure your child has the time and tools to do the tasks outlined in the action plan. Designate a quiet workplace with minimal distractions. These days, we tend to overbook our children with so many activities that there is little room in their busy lives to fit in a new priority. Re-evaluate those priorities. The other thing to think about is gently reducing time spent on unproductive activities such as television, virtual pets and video games. I say gently – because you do not want a sudden removal to seem like a punishment. If you have not yet set house rules for these things, you may need to gradually implement them. Make them part of a family meeting, unrelated to the goal-setting process.

Here are some tips to ensure that your children will achieve their math goals:

Teach them that math is important. Try as much as possible to relate it to their life. Find creative ways to instill an interest in math (music, books, crafts, online resources).

Tell your children about goals you have set and met. Remember, you are their first and foremost role model.

Find out what they need to accomplish in school. What is the curriculum requirement for the year? How is it taught? How will your child be assessed?

Write out the goals together. Start with broader, long-term goals and work towards short-term, specific goals.

Make sure that the short-term goal is not too difficult to achieve and is at an appropriate level for their ability. Remember, you want them to succeed.

Set a deadline. A goal without a deadline is not a goal – it’s a dream. Write it down and post it where you can all see it frequently. Read it each night and again in the morning.

Brainstorm together ways to achieve the goal. What steps will they take? Are they going to follow a book, work with a tutor or complete an online tutorial? Are there other skills they can learn that will help them achieve their goal? Perhaps they need to learn memorization techniques? Make this list very detailed. Turn it into an action plan with a timeline. Schedule these tasks into their daily routine.

Instill ownership of the goal. This is done by getting children involved from the start – writing out the goal, listing their action steps, planning their schedule, setting a deadline. You can even have them sign a contract! Draw up a checklist that they can check off themselves. Ensure further commitment by having them call up three people and tell them what their goal is.

Set up a good learning environment, so that the time and effort spent is focused, quality time. Remove distractions that can impede progress.
Supply an incentive for completing the goal (for example, to surprise Grandpa, a special dinner, a celebration cake, a certificate).

Get the whole family involved! Each child can have a different goal. Mom and Dad can pick something to learn as well.

Be flexible in adapting your children’s goals to their progress. If something isn’t working, re-evaluate your strategy. Was the goal too difficult? Have external influences hindered progress? How can they get back on track?

Make the first math challenge rewarding, to encourage further goal-setting activities. Praise your children and celebrate their achievements. Show your enthusiasm and willingness to work together to achieve their math goal. Cheer them on! This is how they will develop lifelong learning skills. You want them continue a successful pattern of setting and achieving goals.

Here’s my most important tip… Make it fun, and they will learn! Math truly can be fun. At home you have a chance to share through puzzles and games the logic and beauty of mathematics.

Take some MATHemACTION this New Year by helping your child set a math goal. You will find working with your children on this to be a wonderful opportunity to spend time together and assess their number sense. As a parent, you have the chance to discover more about your child’s learning style and to help make learning enjoyable.

Susan Jarema is the founder of Googol Learning and the Crazy 4 Math Contest. The Learning with Googol Power Website has many free resources to inspire mathematics and family learning in your home through music, games, stories and layered learning. Visit http://www.googolpower.com for more information on workshops, presentations, the award-winning Googol Power Math Series and Discovery Multiplication Goal Setting Program.

So as I was reading through some math articles, I ran across this one and the article’s title intrigued me. After reading it, I thought you might like to as well!

Learn Math Through Poetry

Since mathematics as a whole is a difficult subject to learn, maybe different approaches are needed to enhance the teaching of this discipline. Certainly the hands-on method gives students a tactile perspective to the inner workings of this subject, while the real-life applications approach lets students see and understand how mathematics is actually used in life and in different worldly settings. Could poetry be another approach through which to teach and learn this most fascinating subject?

There is an interesting story behind the creation of my work Poems for the Mathematically Insecure. While I was tutoring one of my learning disabled students, he asked me to do something for him for pi day. For those of you who do not know, pi day is March 14 of any year (March 14 is 3/14) and the decimal approximation to the famous mathematical constant known as pi is 3.14. Every year in schools across the country, math teachers like students to do some special project involving the number pi.

While sitting there tutoring him, I asked him if he would like me to put together a poem on pi. He naturally said yes, and while he worked on some practice examples I gave him, I sat there and hammered out the lines to a poem which would be called Wonderful Pi. I decided to keep a copy for myself to use in my classrooms the next day, assigning one volunteer in each class to read the poem aloud. Because the poem was well received, I decided to write some others.

What came out of this experience was the idea to write a collection of math poems–some humorous, some witty, some pedagogical–which would both teach and entertain the reader. Thus during the summer of 2003, I worked on the novel collection of verse called Poems for the Mathematically Insecure. In this collection, the reader finds the humorous Help, Please Help, Teacher! and the instructive Chief SOHCAHTOA, the latter of which teaches the basics of trigonometry in a torrent of rhyming verse. There is even the classic, How Can This Be?, which proves in verse in a manner that anyone can understand, the famous fact that the real numbers between 0 and 1 are more numerous than all the counting numbers put together. Now how’s that for teaching math in a novel manner!

The textbook approach to learning mathematics definitely has its place in the classroom. Indeed there is a limit and some restrictions to what math can be learned from poetry, but these limitations are mostly imposed by the confines of our minds. As educators, we must constantly look for new and interesting ways to pique our students’ interest, and manners in which to break through learning barriers. Learning math through poetry just might be an instructive way to accomplish these objectives. And who knows? We might churn out some good poets as well as good mathematicians. What an interesting thought.

Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Under the penname, JC Page, Joe authored Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC’s of arithmetic. Joe is also author of the charming self-help ebook, Making a Good Impression Every Time: The Secret to Instant Popularity; the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)—particularly in regard to its educational flavor— continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.

Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook. For more information go to [http://www.mathbyjoe.com]